A book by US Senator Rick Santorum
(R-PA), entitled "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good",
hit stores in Washington over the weekend. Its offical publication date
is July 25th. Intended as a response to Hillary Clinton's
book "It Takes a Village", certain passages of the book are already causing controversy in many circles. In the book Santorum compares abortion to slavery, advocates against public school systems, and criticizes mothers for wanting to work outside the home.
Already facing perhaps the toughest re-election bid in the country,
opponents and supporters of Santorum are using the book to tout their
positions. T.J. Rooney, the state Democratic Party chairman, had this to say:
"References to how families are compromised when both parents work
outside the home, how it takes a societal toll on Pennsylvania families
or American families, it just shows a complete lack of understanding of
the real world in which the vast majority of Pennsylvanians reside."
Hillary Clinton's office declined to comment on the book.
Quotes from the book
- "The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help
poor, low-skill unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GED's
move up the economic ladder is just wrong." - "Respect for stay-at-home mothers has been poisoned by a toxic
combination of the village elders' war on the traditional family and
radical feminism's misogynistic crusade to make working outside the
home the only marker of social value and self-respect."
Source: Wikinews
I just want to say to the early posters that I will be proving you wrong here in a few years. I think it is wholly possible that a woman can have a career and be a caring mother. And Santorum is a nut job!
Good Lord, that's disgusting. I think he should watch the movie Pleasantville for starters.
My mother never went to college because she didn't have the money, but she started working at age 19, and today has her own company in New York. She is very successful. However, she always says if she had a college degree she could go even further, but the times she grew up in didn't require one, so she lucked out. My mother raised my sister and I in a great fashion, while working, with help from my grandmother and my dad, who had his office in our home. My mother was ALWAYS a part of our lives. When my father passed away, my mother had the burden of my college education all to herself, and because she had her own job which she had strong roots in, she was not concerned. She was able to support our home and my school on her own. Not to mention, work gave her a purpose after my dad died. It gave her a regime, a schedule, something to do to take her mind off of what had happened and get her back into the swing of things. She says if it weren't for her job she would have gone crazy after my dad died. Also, my mom has made some of the best friends of her life in her profession. She has been with her partner (not in the lovers way, lol) for almost 15 years now. They have a great friendship and my mom loves the people she works with. Having a job gave my mom a sense of pride, of independence and of accomplishment, and I know if I just hunkered down and let my future husband take care of me, my mom would be furious. What conservatives fail to realize is you CAN do both, be a mom and have a job. And having a college degree makes it much easier to find a job that is right for you, that challenges you and makes you happy. I think it is important to be self reliant, because like in my mom's case, you never know when the rug is going to be pulled out from under you. I know some women who completely rely on their husbands for everything, and don't even know how to pay their own utility bills. I think women have every right to go to school, get educated, and raise a family in any means they see fit. If you choose to stay at home and not work, fine, if you choose not to, fine. But to assume that women don't "need" to because our place is in the home with the kids is disgusting. I bet Santorum's wife is real glad she married him.
wow this is sexes
Santoums comments reflect his complete seperation from the real world. Woman have to work in many situations today. This requires higher education. Especially as the economy gets worse and mothers are forced to contribute to the family coffers just so the family can keep what they have. More importantly, what kind of attitude does this reflect about woman overall. There are thousands of capable women making there way through the ranks, only to be stopped by clowns with attitudes like this. Finally, if you are truly pro-choice and women should be having children regardless of their marital status, how can you then not support those woman as the try to better life from themselves and their children. To say stupid things like this in spur of the moment situation is one thing, but when you put it in a book, it just underlines the guys lack of consistent, cohesive thought. More importantly, it demonstrates his complete lack of understanding of the dilemas facing real people.
Even if mother's don't work, they can provide their children with a better education if they themselves are educated. Saying that women recieving educations is a bad thing sounds a little off kilter to me.
~CallieV
santorum (n)
that frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes a byproduct of anal sex.
I know I wouldn't buy a book written by that frothy mixture. (And if I lived in Pennsylvania I wouldn't vote for it either.)
I am looking foreword to going to college, getting a good job, and being a good mother. You dont need to be dumb and at home to be a mom, that doesnt make sense.
I feel sorry for the woman who marries this man. I, as well as most modern female Americans, have ridiculous amounts of ambition, and I could never supress that to become a submissive housewife and serve everyone around me. I would rather remain single and not have kids for the rest of my life than be reduced to that.
This is not to undermine those who do choose to stay home and tend to their kids. Good for them, if that's their ambition. But not every woman can have the same way of thinking.
i dont believe that the family is compromised if a woman works outside of her home. a woman has everyright to make a life for herself that doent just identify her as a mother/wife.
it doent matter how much time you spend with your kids what matter is how u spend that time with them.
Ok, while I agree Mr. Santorum ought to contemplate a medical procedure to remove his head from his rear, like an earlier poster said, he has a point. But that's as far as I'll take it. While I don't think the daycare industry is a "femenist abuse factory", it's certainly not perfect and, personally I'll do whatever it takes to keep my kids out of "professional" daycare. I truly belive that the breakdown of the traditional family unit is a main contributing factor to societal problems today. I just never thought I'd see the day when a member of the United States Congress would spout the Taliban party line. Usama must be so proud of you, Rick!
What kills me the most about that book is that the answer is so obvious it's almost painful. If he wants to see so-called "American Family Values" restored, then why doesn't he lean on his cronies in congress and get their buddies, the big corporate conglomerates to pay people a decent living wage for their work and not continue to suck time out of people's lives by making them work 60-75 hrs per week for a 40 hour paycheck. It's also not their fault alone.
We all worship at the altar of Dead Presidents and seem to be ever more ready and willing to sacrafice whatever it takes to chase the almighty dollar. The corporate powers that be may push us in that direction, but they certainly don't have to work that hard to make us accept it. Look, I'm not saying we should all give up on capatilism and go live in commune, singing Kumbyah all the way, just realize that whatever our position in life, WE always have a choice.
Can't wait to see how Jon Stewart tackle's the nutcase the state of Pennsylvannia calls their Junior Senator, Mr. Santorum, on the Daily Show Tuesday night...
I watched the interview last night (I had Tivoed it... can't stay awake past 11pm most nights).
Stewart wasn't too hard on Santorum, and Santorum was surprisingly adept at keeping his foot out of his mouth. Someone must be coaching him. He sounded a little silly criticizing Victoria's Secret ads, but at least he didn't bash gays and say straight out that he thought women should stay home, barefoot and pregnant.
I came across some funny reviews of the Santorum book on CampusProgress.org:
Reviewer: chemp (La Prov)
Thanks Mr. Santorum! Thank you so much! After reading "It Takes a Family" I made my wife quit her job. We're now working on having our third child. Hopefully things will get better though, because we can't afford to eat too much these days. A meal usually consists of what we call "ketchup sandwiches". But, I must say I'm truly enlightened and this outweighs the hunger in my stomach and the fear of not being able to pay the mortgage. Mr. Santorum, you're a true American hero.
July 10, 2005
Reviewer: William Michael Brown (Oakland, CA United States)
My life was miserable before I read this book. My wife, ofjoshua, refused to submit to my patriarchal authority. She disobeyed my directives and flaunted her independence in front of the pastor. Fueled by Cosmo-induced size fantasies, she openly mocked my little soldier's stature by calling me Sir Lackawanger.
I just finished reading a few sections of the book to her, I think things will be different now. She agrees with the Senator about the proper role of women. Indeed, she said that she wants to quit her job to stay at home. I can't believe it. She was so excited she couldn't stop talking about how she'll have that tall neighbor with all the muscles come over and till her garden.
I have Sen. Santorum's book to thank for that. I can't recommend it enough.
To put this all in proper perspective, Mr. Santorum hasn't a clue what life is like in the real world. I'll bet he doesn't know his kids' birthdays, what grade they're in (and their subject strengths/weaknesses), their personal likes/dislikes, or even friends' names, not to mention what they might be going through emotionally, that they haven't figured out how to put into words just yet.
I can say this, because I am a mother of two (13 y/o girl, 11 y/o boy) who has a well-paying job outside the home. It keeps us apart approx. 60 hours a week, with commute time added in. My husband was not as fortunate at getting, keeping, or finding fulfillment in the various jobs he's had before the kids came into our lives.
My kids know, without a doubt, that I love them, that I'd do anything for them. I know my kids, what they're going through, what they're facing, what I can do for them, as well as what they need to do (or learn how to) do for themselves. I suggest Mr. Santorum & the religious right get out of my life (and stay out), and practice being more Jesus-like. That's all that need be said, except that an innumberable number of trees were slaughtered needlessly for the production of this excuse for reading material.
I agree with you one hundred percent, for the majority of families there is a need for two incomes to make ends meet, sadly most people who complain about working mothers come from wealthy families, hence their view of reality is skewed!
I could not agree with you more. My Mother was a stay at home mom during the 1970's and the mid 1980's until my father passed away suddenly in 1985 of a massive heart attack. My mother did what she had to do, she went back into a career in Real Estate, and my brother and I might not see her until 8 or 9 pm that night because of her hectic work schedule. She did what any mother would do which is care for her children, making sacrifices and if that meant not being home until a certain time well that was had to be done. I was also fortunate enough to have both my Grandmother, as well as, my Aunt and Uncle play an important part in my life as surrogate parents. Now, does that make my family a bit different as a traditional family, thank God I had them in my life as well, these 3 people were part of my family and village of elders who guided me into who I am today. So to Mr. Sanatorum and the Religious Right, back off, you are exemplifying the opposite of what Christ actually taught that the Meek shall inherit the Earth. Well, these days people are facing job losses, high medical bills, possible foreclosures, and the list could go on, so I suggest you check your attitude at the door, if you don't want Women to work, get out your check book with the Religious Right to open up their fat wallets and start putting their check books where their mouth is, or would that be too Christ Like? God Forbid!
Why does being a good wife and mother have to contrast with being a professional? I went to day care when I was a kid, but I always knew that my mother was my mother and she was there when I really needed her to be. Now that I am older, I see her as being a better role model to me because of the way she contributes to society by working. Obviously, stay-at-home-mom's can contribute to society too, but just in a different way.
Santorum is correct to a certain extent because you cannot serve two masters. It a woman only cares about her career, she will neglect her children.
The modern daycare industry is nothing but a feminist created child abuse industry, and we will suffer for it as a society.
Feminism is hardly progressive, but is rather socially regressive because of its negative impact upon our most vulnerable: our children.
You can not serve two masters? What are you talking about? Many people have the ability to balance both career and family. Or Career and school, or school and hobby, or all four at once. If you are unable to do more than one thing at a time, that's your own limitation. Others however are more ambitious.
It is unfortunate that you have such a sexist and narrow minded opinion. Maybe oneday you will develop ideology that is consistant with gender equality and logic and fits in the current century.
first of all, women have worked outside the home for hundreds of years. they have been cooks, laundresses, seamstresses and caregivers of other people's children. betsy ross was a seamstress and took over her husband's upholstery shop.
in modern times, jobs held by women were called pink collar jobs and were of low pay and low status with no room for advancement. feminism sought to ensure that women who worked, whether by choice or necessity, would be guaranteed a wage equal to a man doing the same job and that female workers had the same acess to advancement. feminism also offered choices to families and made it possible for fathers to be more involved with their children. (paternity leave)
i know several families who relied on mom's paycheck after dad had been laid off, or his job down sized or outsourced. with these uncertain economic times, and with the concept of job security a thing of the past, no family can afford to gamble on just paycheck coming in to the family. many women work just to provide medical benefits for their families, because unlike santorum, dad's job doesn't provide family health coverage, or to be able to afford a house in a decent school district. not everyone can rip off a school district like santorum did.
women work for a variety of reasons, and i think our society benefits from the ability to use the talent and creativity of all of its citizens, not just the male ones.
good quality day care is not child abuse, but instead provides children with supervision, socialization and stimulation. santorum has consistently voted against increased funding for quality child care. make no mistake, he is pro birth, but not pro life.
If women only cared about their careers they probably wouldn't be having children. I'm one year away from my Master's degree and I find that his comments demean all hardworking female college students. The notion that education for unmarried women is "just wrong" is absurd. I guess he just wants us all to find a man who will support us and not pursue our own interests. He wrongly assumes that every woman wants to get married and have kids and those who do not are abnormal in some way. This is not the Stone Age!
He's also a hypocrite because he supported the welfare reform bill requiring mothers on welfare to work...so I guess he doesn't care much about who is caring for those kids.
If I'm getting the gist of your message, John, it's okay for a man to have a career and children, but not a woman. Women's sole purpose in life is to bear and raise children; hence, it's preferable that their minds NOT be nurtured through education or employment.
The problem with the right-wing, hyper-critical religious agenda is that it assumes so very, very much. Here's a short list: every mother is married to the father of her children; the father/husband has a well-paying job, and can afford to KEEP the mother/wife at home; daycare is the ONLY choice for these parents (excluding many dedicated grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.).
Why does the right-wing, hyper-critical religious types consider it a virtual crime for a woman to have self-esteem through outside-the-home employment (and education), but NOT a man???
Santorum is not correct at all. You say you can not serve two masters, does that mean men with careers love their children less? To go on even further, since Santorum has a career (hopefully a short one) does he not love his children? How can he serve God and the US at the same time.
We all weigh our career decisions a little differently once we have kids -- women and men alike. I would wager that working mothers who care only about their careers are extremely rare.
I think your characterization of the childcare industry is disgraceful. It takes some effort to find the best preschools and after-school care for your children, and every parent owes it to their kids to research the options. But if you talk with people in the field you will find that childcare professionals are good people who put their hearts and souls into helping the kids entrusted to them develop into responsible, caring adults.
As a mother I agree with you Art. I am a mother of an autistic son and recently divorced. I had no choice but to return to school to finish my degree so that I may provide better for my son and I. Luckily he is in school all day and then attends before and after school daycare.
Gina